Letters to the editor

Increased resilience for communities has been one of the key dividends of off-grid energy we have confirmed during the first phase of the Smart Villages Initiative. Our workshops in Nepal, Philippines and the Dominican Republic discussed how solar, wind and hydro power can quickly help recovery programs, not just when the grid goes down, but also if diesel supplies are interrupted. In this terrible week, with floods and hurricanes devastating the southern US, Bangladesh and as I write the Caribbean and potentially Florida, hopefully, the latest off-grid technology advances can help communities in their hour of need.